Forbidden Soul

Chapter 1: New Girl In Town

Mianette’s POV

A sudden jerk woke me up. I opened my eyes forcefully. There was dead silence around me. It took me a while to understand where I was. I looked around. The dimly lit bulbs were enough to tell me that the bus was almost empty. I should be around the destination by now. Camelot, an exquisite mountain town, surrounded by woods and rivers. The beautiful valley of this town had charmed many, and hence it grew richer despite the poor transport and harsh winter.

I looked out from the window. It was still dark outside. I could hardly see anything. I took out my phone to check the time. It was four in the morning. The sun might rise after another hour or two. Or might be more. The winter was near and hence nothing could be said. The bus took another sudden turn and with that; I slid a bit towards my left. The road had a lot of switchbacks. I could feel it pretty well.

This was my first time in the mountains. I grew up around the sea areas. I always loved the warmth of the sun. I always loved that chilly breeze of the evening. I always loved running around on the sands, bare feet. I always loved that salty water touching my feet. And I knew I would miss these, along with that blue and white building of the orphanage by the seashore where I grew up. I had never been outside of the place. First, I was one of those who was never adopted. And that led to the second point, I never had enough money. I always had to work extra hours just to save some to buy my books. But today I had no regret. All my hard works had paid off when I got to admit to Whitman College. That too with a full scholarship. I could hardly believe it. The cherry on the top, wasn’t it? And that was the reason for me leaving everything behind. I was going to Camelot to start my new life, to make my future. But little did I know about what was waiting for me.

The bus finally stopped as we reached the destination. I got down from the bus and grabbed my bag and the backpack. It was still dark. I looked here and there to search for any transit, but there was nothing I could find. Being confused, I looked for the driver at the bus stop. The old man was taking down his stuff.

“Excuse me!” I spoke loudly to grab his attention.

"Hello, young lady!” The old man greeted me warmly.

“Hi! Actually, I want to go to Whitman College. I was wondering if you could help me.” I queried politely with a smile.

“Ah! Another genius. Freshman year?” The old man asked me back. I knew what exactly he meant. Whitman College was not an ordinary college. This college defiantly had some reputation and when I said reputation, I certainly meant to say the good one. It had a very high cut-off. To get admission, one needed to excel in everything. And once you were done with graduations, you would absolutely be welcomed by a bright future.

“Yes!” I nodded my head with another smile. Well! I was a genius! Not everyone got the full scholarship.

“Listen, sweetheart, it will be hard for you to get a bus or anything in this town. It’s a small town, but the people who live here are not small. They are millionaires. Without a private car, it’s really hard to sustain.” He spoke again with a sad smile.

I knew that as well. I had done my research before coming here. I knew the town was small only in the term of population and one reason behind that was the poor transit system and high-cost products. And why not? The town was famous as the residents of many business tycoons and even the relatives of the royal families. I sighed inwardly. I guessed I was going to get some beautiful leg muscles. I smiled at my thought.

“But I still need to reach the college. Is there any other way?” I asked again.

The old man straightened his posture and turned around, facing the forest line. Then he started, pointing at a narrow path, “you see that? That path goes right into the college. It will take you hardly fifteen minutes.”

A smile formed on my lips as he mentioned fifteen minutes. Thank god, it wasn’t that far.

“Thank you so much!” I thanked him with a big smile and grabbed my bag again.

“But be careful, okay?” The old man sighed, “they say, these woods have their own colours. It has its own secrets, hiding inside, over years. Don't listen to their voices.”

I looked at him, puzzled. What was he talking about? He sounded creepy! And voices? What voices was he talking about? I smiled awkwardly and thanked him again. I took that narrow path and entered the woods. The atmosphere changed abruptly around me. A dark mist was wrapped around the tall evergreens. A chill went down my spine. A cold breeze brushed my cheeks. It felt more like someone touching me softly. I looked around. There was nothing.

My heart started to race. I picked up my speed and walked as fast as I could with all this luggage. The backpack was indeed heavy, so was my huge trolley! Among all that, I could hardly use its wheels on this hilly, uneven road. I tipped over many times but tried hard to keep the pace. Suddenly I felt another strong wind blowing my hair from behind, and with that, I swore I felt a hand on my back. 

"AAAH!" I jumped off the road as I screamed. I looked around again, properly, using the flashlight of my phone. But no one was there. 

I did not know what I was feeling. I was scared, but at the same time, I was assured. I could feel something watching me intensely, I could feel an unknown touch. I swore it was not just the wind. All those feelings were scary. Even so, something inside my heart was telling me everything was alright. I was in the right place, at the right moment. Nothing could harm me here, in these woods. As I walked deeper, the woods became more silent, even if that was possible. The mist thickened. I could hardly see anything. I turned on the flashlight from my mobile again. But that was not of much use either.

Suddenly the rowdy wind touched me once more. But this time, it was gentler. Though it was cold, I felt its warmth. What was happening around? What was hidden in these woods? Why were they giving me mixed feelings? Why was I finding peace in this darkness? Was that only wind that touched my skin? Or it was something else trying to touch my heart and soul? I kept standing there, looking around, enjoying the peace and darkness. I didn’t know how long I was standing there. It felt that some invisible chains were tying me up at this place, restricting my movements. Suddenly the mist went away and slowly the very first sunlight hit the ground. I looked around only to find out me standing near an edge of the mountain. I looked down. Not far, I could see a lake. The hidden sun appeared gradually behind the mountains. The white crowns on the mountains were reflecting the red-orange sky. Their reflections on the turquoise-blue lake looked magical. So peaceful and mesmerizing. I had seen nothing like these in my entire life. I had read about the beauty of these mountains; I had seen many pictures on google. But I never thought the reality would be like this, enchanting. Suddenly another strong with touched my back, making me feel calm. I closed my eyes to feel everything.

My heart kept repeating, “this is the right place where I should be! Now and always. Forever…”